I was discussing the Miss World beauty pageant with some friends the other day, and it started me thinking. In the course of this pageant, the contestants must answer various questions put to them by the judges. One of the questions this time was, “Who is your role model or who do you admire and look up to most?”

If I were asked that question, what would be my reply? Would I name Mother Theresa, or Florence Nightingale, or someone else who has inspired millions the world over through a life of self-sacrifice and service to mankind? No. The one whom I admire more than any other is my own mother.

For the past 27 years, my mother has given herself in the service of others as a Christian volunteer in numerous countries on three continents—the last five years in Africa. Although this is in itself remarkable, what is even more remarkable is that for 23 of those years she has lived with a rare and debilitating disease that affects all of her joints and makes even the simplest movements excruciatingly painful. Yet, if you were to meet her for the first time, apart from a slight limp, you would never know. This, to me, is one of her most admirable qualities: Though she suffers, there is never a word of complaint on her lips—only a beautiful smile.

Her life is fraught with adversity, but she sees only the moments of joy.

Even those of us who are closest to her sometimes forget that she is sorely afflicted, until she disappears and we find her on her bed, unable to move because of the pain. In addition to this, she is hearing impaired and recently lost her sight in one eye. Her personal life has also not been a bed of roses, having loved and lost. Anyone else would say her life is fraught with adversity, but she sees only the moments of joy and says, “My life is filled with blessings!”

I believe that her greatest strength comes from her deep faith in God and His love for her, and this love spills over onto everyone she comes in contact with. She has dedicated her life to serve others, and made it not just her profession but her way of life. She radiates such peace and love and comfort that people are drawn to her like a magnet. Even the wildest and roughest of characters will sit with her and pour out their troubles, their fears, and their dreams, and she is a mother to them all. Through her suffering, she is able to comfort others in theirs. This is my idea of true Christianity—not sermonizing from a pulpit but being a living example of love and care for others.

It is not enough to love only when we feel like it, when it is fair weather and we are in the peak of health, or when there are few other demands on our time and we have strength to spare. Love is weeping with those who weep, because it understands their pain. Love is being a shoulder to cry on. It’s a hand that lifts others, even when it is too tired to lift itself. Love is not only for an hour, or for a day. Love is always.

My mother is no Miss World, but she is, in my eyes, the most beautiful of them all. She is filled with a special inner beauty and grace, and it shows every day of her life. She will never be famous or be remembered in history books, but the love she gives will live now and forever in the many hearts she has touched. ■

Julie Bühring and her mother Sabina are full-time volunteers with the Family International in Africa.